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  #1  
Old 07-01-2018, 12:26 PM
Eddie Harren Eddie Harren is offline
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Default First Time

Roscoe couldn't go with me last evening so I went to "The Valley of Death" by myself. It was really hot and I only saw 1 g-hog. I shot it with the 20 VarTarg and a 32 Gr. Blitz-King at a range of 248 Yds. As I sat there glassing and watching the bean field, I saw a buzzard fly over the kill and circle around for a landing. It couldn't have been more than 15 Min. after I shot. I've had eagles and hawks come in on fresh killed prairie dogs but never had a buzzard come in on a fresh killed g-hog. After the bird finished dinner he made a successful takeoff and went about his business. I wish Roscoe had been along.
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  #2  
Old 07-01-2018, 12:30 PM
varmintshooter varmintshooter is offline
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I had 6 come in and completely finish a young one. It is neat to watch. good going. Gotta love the VT.
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  #3  
Old 07-01-2018, 02:14 PM
17VLD 17VLD is offline
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Default My daughter just saw a buzzard up close...

The other day we were headed out to dinner in the Jeep and I pointed out a buzzard on the edge of a pd town to Hayley.It was the first one she had seen up close.Later we saw one riding the thermals and we could distinguish its unique flight profile.Hayley has been thinking she might like to try shooting one of my small caliber rifles on some distant targets.She hopefully will progress to some pd’s soon as well.
Glad to hear that the 20 VT worked out nicely for ya,I’m not surprised at all though,it’s a great cartridge.
Matt
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Last edited by 17VLD; 07-01-2018 at 02:17 PM.
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  #4  
Old 07-01-2018, 02:16 PM
ARW ARW is offline
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I was out yesterday afternoon also, in the low 90's here and humid. I finally saw a big groundhog come out into the clover field that my range finder said was 512 yards. After I put the clicks on I sent one at him but did not hear the hit and did not see him lying there, so I thought I probably missed. A little while later I saw a buzzard land where the groundhog was when I shot and sure enough I got the groundhog, a big male that was the longest shot so far this year.
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Old 07-01-2018, 02:26 PM
Bill K Bill K is online now
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Default First Time

Often the hawks, eagles come right in when we started shooting, especially on the ground squirrels. They start feeding and our continued shooting does not bother them one bit. Fun to watch. In one area, the darn seagulls also come in and begin feeding. But unlike the hawks/eagles, these birds just gulp the two halves or the whole GS down in one big gulp. Bill K
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Old 07-01-2018, 05:38 PM
bburrell bburrell is offline
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Yesterday, I zero'd in on a prairie dog and tried to shoot him in the eye. It was a bulls eye, but the paper he was printed on didn't move, not even a twitch, so I assumed that he was dead in his tracks. Unfortunately, there were no Bald Eagles or California Condors to report seeing at the indoor range where I shot this prairie dog. Burt
PS, I brought the prairie dog home with me but have no pictures to post as proof of my kill.
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Old 07-01-2018, 08:45 PM
glennlasher glennlasher is offline
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On our first PD trip, back in '98, we had a ferruginous hawk come in on some PDs we'd shot about a half-hour earlier. When he picked it up to fly off with it, it fell apart in his talons.
He was miffed about that, at least, he sounded like it, he sure was cussing us as he flew off. At least, I THINK he was cussing us, I don't speak 'hawk'.
All we could do is laugh.
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  #8  
Old 07-02-2018, 02:16 AM
rider rider is offline
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Several years ago I was shooting PD's when I spotted a badger sticking his head out of a den about 300 yards out. I spotted a PD at about the same distance out and up wind of the badger and shot it. The wind carried the scent to the badger and he immediately ran to the area and found the PD. I watched it for some time. He continued to dine unaffected by my continued shooting in the area. I was shooting the 17 AH at that time so the noise level must not have alarmed the badger to any great extent.
The hawks in the area that I shoot will be at the site within 15 minutes of the first shoots. The hawks also learned to follow the tractor during farming operations. At times there would be as many as 15 at a time following the tractor and plow around. They would circle above and catch any jack rabbit or rat that was pushed out of cover.

Last edited by rider; 07-02-2018 at 02:18 AM. Reason: syntex
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Old 07-02-2018, 04:24 AM
georgeld georgeld is offline
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It's a lot of fun to watch the various birds from burrowing owls, hawks to golden eagles come to the shots. Lot's of times they'll land near a live one.
Sure looks like they "point" them out for us to shoot. Soon a we do, they're right on it. I've shot within 5 feet of the birds. They're not afraid of being hit.
Show's they've been around it for a long time.
Always a thrill to watch 'em.
Sure need a fairly high powered glass to make sure it's a p/dog and not a burrowing owl. Anyone with much experience can tell it "just don't look right".
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Old 07-02-2018, 12:08 PM
Double D Double D is offline
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I have also had experience with the raptors and seagulls coming in and feeding while we were shooting, particularly in the picket pin patches in the MacDoel area of northern California . When things slowed we would watch the birds through our scopes. The bird would suddenly stare and we would pan in the direction of the stare and find a picket pin. After we shot the picket pin the bird would hop over and start dining.

Perhaps the most interesting "bird" we saw however-we were shooting and noticed a pick-up truck driving out in the field towards us. As it got closer we saw it was a U.S. Fish & Wildlife truck. The truck stopped and two young women got out and introduced themselves as interns at the Rapture care center. They wanted to collect carcasses to feed the injured birds they were caring for. We pointed out a rock pile on the edge of the field were we had shot a couple of rock chucks. They were thrilled with that. They said they had an injured eagle that preferred chuck over picket pins. The women filled several garbage bags full of sides of picket pin. They were thrilled with us, because normally all they did was drive up and down the roads and pick up road kills. They said they could drive all day and not find as many as they picked up from us.

Ah yes, just another example of varmint hunters feeding the sick and injured.
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